2015-02-11

Well, with last night's 2-1 loss to the New York Islanders, the Oilers sit comfortably in that second overall spot, confident that no matter what happens they are guaranteed a top-three pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

The numbers look fairly solid: Carolina has a six-point cushion against us, while we do remain only four points back of the y-axis breaking Sabres for that coveted last spot (guaranteed prize: either Eichel or McDavid, the Malkin/Ovechkin top picks combo).

Still, without catching Buffalo, the Oilers can't be guaranteed a top-two pick (currently ranked third overall is Noah Hanifin who is a big step down from Eichel, while fourth overall is McDavid's teammate Dylan Strome and we know what drafting a top pick's teammate looks like, the results can be underwhelming).